River of Red - What If?
by BK Love-ah
Summary: An alternate ending to my first GONY story, "River of Red." What if the Draft Riots hadn't happened? Who would've won? Well, this is one possibility... This is a very dark story. Don't like, don't read. I DO NOT OWN GANGS OF NEW YORK, just my original characters. R&R!
1. Chapter 1

_**What if the Draft Riots didn't take place? The outcome of the gang battle might have been very different…**_

**000000000000**

The Rabbits and the Natives charged. They immediately attacked each other, hacking at any limbs they could see that were clothed in a different color than their own. The minutes of screaming and bloodshed ticked by like the longest hours of their lives.

Quinn held his knife tightly and swung it at a Native, effectively sending him to the ground. However, before he could find someone else to target, two burly Natives stormed at him and knocked the knife from his hand, grasping both his arms.

"Hey, get off!" he shouted as the men dragged him out of the fray.

"Hold still, boy," one of them growled.

Quinn could only watch helplessly as Bill and Amsterdam faced off in the center of the fight.

Amsterdam swung hard at Bill's head, but he ducked easily and kicked the young man in the stomach. Swinging his meat cleaver, Bill made a gash in Amsterdam's shoulder, sending him backwards. Ever valiant, young Vallon slashed at the Butcher and slit him in the arm.

Quinn stared at the fight in extreme worry, but his hopes were still high.

_Come on, Amsterdam. Come on…_

Suddenly, just as the boy was about to strike again, Bill grabbed his wrist and pushed it to the side before stepping forward and plunging his longer knife deep into Amsterdam's side.

"_**No!**_" Quinn screamed, struggling vainly with his captors.

Amsterdam's eyes widened as blood poured from his wound. He looked at Bill, who leaned towards him.

"That's a _kill,_" he snarled into the boy's ear.

He wrenched his knife out of the bloodied flesh, and Vallon fell backwards onto the ground. The horn sounded, and everyone halted. Overcome with shock and grief, Quinn stared at the numerous bodies. He recognized far too many of them.

_Shang…Maggie…oh, God…_

He was unable to do anything as the Butcher bent over the Priest's son and slit his throat. Amsterdam tried to scream, but it came out as a gurgle. Never taking his eyes from his dying victim, Bill reached out to stroke the boy's forehead.

"That's it," he said quietly. "Think about it for a while."

After another minute, Amsterdam was dead. Both gangs watched in silence as Bill slowly rose to his feet.

OOOOOOOOOOOOO

Indescribable pride filled him as he stared down at his victim. He had taken the father, and now, he had finally taken the son as well. After a few more moments, Bill looked up and addressed the crowd.

"Do what you will with your dead," he shouted at the Rabbits, "but this one will _not_ cross the river!"

He nodded at his own men to gather the fallen Natives before looking around. Quinn had been pulled from the battle, just as he had ordered, and his heart burned with more pleasure than ever before. He slowly started to walk towards him.

"You _bastard,_" Quinn growled at the approaching man. "You son of a-"

He didn't finish. Bill had punched him hard across the jaw and kicked him in the shins, causing his knees to buckle beneath him. Before Quinn could get up, he suffered a violent kick to the stomach and bent over in pain.

_Come on, Quinn…stay strong for Kyna…_

The young man tried to get up again, but Bill jumped on him and pinned him onto his stomach. He held the boy's wrists behind his back and grabbed the rope from one of the men. In a matter of moments, he had hogtied Quinn just as he said he would.

Bill got to his feet, took off his cap, and untied his hair. He forced the cap onto Quinn's head, covering his eyes. Then, without a word, he grabbed the rope and started to drag Quinn towards Satan's Circus.

The entire way, Quinn kicked and struggled furiously, wanting desperately to make the Butcher pay for everything he had done. They eventually reached the first floor staircase in the building. Bill dragged the boy up the stairs, who was still squirming.

"Oh, don't worry, boy," he snarled. "I'm taking you to see _her!_"

Though Quinn wanted to see Kyna more than anything, he knew that if he remained immobile by the ropes, he wouldn't be able to help her.

As he pulled his captive towards the final narrow stairs that led to his room, an excitement unlike any other filled the Butcher.

_Now I'll show you, Kyna._

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"_No._ Please, God, **please**…"

Kyna whispered to herself as she heard the sound of a scuffle outside the door. It was the only time in her life that she wasn't happy to hear Quinn's voice. She pulled at the ropes that bound her wrists and ankles, but it was useless.

The door was kicked open, and the Butcher walked in with Quinn in tow. After slamming the door and locking it, he dragged the tied boy towards the bed and took off the cap. Quinn saw Kyna and stared at her.

"Oh, _Kyna_…"

There were cuts all over her exposed body. Her lip had a small cut on it, and a bruise was forming on her cheek. She looked at him weakly, tears flooding her eyes.

"Quinn…"

"There you are," Bill said sinisterly. "You got to see each other one last time. But **now**…"

He yanked Quinn backwards and pushed him onto the floor.

"No!" Kyna screamed, horror consuming her.

Bill punched Quinn in the face a few more times before getting up and kicking him repeatedly. Kyna yanked frantically at her ropes, not bothering to restrain her tears.

After a couple more minutes, Quinn was groaning in pain. He barely seemed to notice that he was being untied.

"Kyna…"

Bill pushed him onto his back and straddled him. Then, he took out one of his smaller knives and grabbed one of Quinn's wrists.

Kyna suddenly realized what he was going to do.

"Don't…_**no!**_"

The knife came down and pierced through the center of Quinn's hand, effectively nailing it to the floor. A piercing scream escaped the young man, and not even an instant later, Bill had taken out another knife. Kyna watched helplessly as both her sweetheart's hands were knifed to the wood.

"Oh, God…Quinn, look at me…I love you, _look at me_…"

Quinn was able to see Kyna through his tear-filled eyes, despite the agony he was in.

"L-Love, I…Kyna…"

"This'll be fun," Bill said as he took out the knife he had used to kill Amsterdam.

In a swift move, he had cut both of Quinn's cheeks. Then, he grabbed one of the boy's ears and turned to Kyna.

"No more declarations of love."

He slowly cut off the ear, relishing the boy's screams. Once it was off, he tossed it aside and did the same with the other ear. Quinn was nearly delirious with agony, but he concentrated on looking at Kyna. He hated the pain he saw in her face, the pain he had promised to take away…

Bill suddenly slapped Quinn's face.

"Don't you dare look at her, boy," he snarled, gripping the boy's head. "She belongs to _me_."

He raised the knife and positioned it at one of Quinn's eyes, which were still glued to Kyna. The girl screamed in terror as Bill gouged out the eye. He smiled in satisfaction as he cut the other eye out immediately afterwards.

"There. Now you'll _never_ see her again!"

"You **bastard!**" Kyna screamed, pulling so hard on her ropes that her wrists were raw. "_**Stop it!**_"

The Butcher ignored her and took out his smaller meat cleaver. He forced it between the boy's jaws so that it held his mouth open. Then, he stuck the other knife inside and started cutting at the tongue.

Kyna wanted so badly to close her eyes, but found herself unable to do so. Watching the love of her life coughing up blood was causing her own soul to die with his, just as the Butcher promised.

Quinn moaned in anguish. The unrelenting pain was threatening to take over his very sanity. However, despite not being able to see or speak, he was still able to hold Kyna's face in his mind. Even as Bill cut through the front of his clothes and began hacking at his intimate area, Quinn fought with all his might to push past the pain and concentrate on the woman he loved with all his heart.

By the time her captor started on Quinn's feet, tears were gushing from Kyna's eyes, and she could barely see.

"_**No!**_" she screamed, knowing it would do no good.

The Butcher finally climbed over Quinn and positioned his knife over the boy's chest. Without another word, he plunged the blade deep into him and yanked it down, tearing through flesh and muscle. Blood poured from the gaping wound as Bill thrust his hand inside, feeling around for the desired organ.

Quinn could barely scream anymore due to the blood loss. Though he couldn't see anything, the darkness was starting to become blurry. The loud but inaudible noises he could hear were fading. Suddenly, he was beginning to see white.

_Kyna, I love you. I'm so sorry…_

Kyna helplessly watched her only remaining reason for staying alive take his final breath. Just as Bill pulled out Quinn's heart, his form became still. His insides warm with victory, he slowly turned to look at Kyna, but she wasn't looking at him.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Empty.

That's how she felt. Quinn had been her everything. No matter what was going on, no matter what had gone wrong in her life, Quinn was always there to comfort and protect her. Even after Monk's murder, her love's image helped her to keep her sanity. Knowing that he would do everything in his power to save her from the Butcher's prison kept her hopes alive.

And now, every last bit of hope she had was destroyed.

She lay on her back and sobbed as she heard the Butcher get up and take Quinn's still heart to the table. The sickening chopping sound that followed made her insides twist with revulsion. She turned and looked out the window, but saw nothing except for the red-brown bricks of the opposite building.

A couple minutes later, Bill was hovering over Kyna, holding a bowl of the bloody pieces.

"Time to open up, Kyna," he said with a sadistic smile.

Kyna clenched her mouth shut and turned away, only for Bill to pounce on her and grab her chin. She squealed in pain and revulsion as her captor picked up one of the minced pieces and pressed it against her lips.

_No!_

"I said _**open!**_" Bill growled, and the battle of wills began once more…

OOOOOOOOOOOOO

Several hours later, after a great amount of violent struggling, the Butcher had made good on his promise to make Kyna eat Quinn's heart. A couple of his men had taken the young man's remains from the room. Now, Bill sat on the bed with his untied captive, holding onto her tightly. He wanted to stay with her to make sure she didn't vomit, and to feast his eyes on his work.

Kyna felt numb. Her body was fine, but she couldn't feel anything inside her. However, the flesh that Bill had forced her to chew and swallow felt like it was weighing down her stomach. Her wish to die had never been stronger. Still, she knew that wish wouldn't be granted, at least not for a very long time.

Soon, the sun started to go down, and Kyna prayed that Bill would leave her alone for the night. But he was far from being finished with her.

Reaching his hand forward, Bill leaned over Kyna and started to stroke her cheek, wiping a bit of blood from her lips. She winced and turned away from him as much as she could. Bill looked at her evilly and wiped the blood on the girl's face, right next to her ear. Then, when he bent his head down and pressed his mouth against her skin, something snapped.

"_**No!**_" she shrieked, struggling with all her might. "Get _**away**_ from me!"

But Bill wouldn't have any of that. He wrapped his arms around Kyna from behind and pulled her to him, rubbing his lips down her neck. She cried out in disgust and tried to squirm away, but Bill pinned her down with his weight and wrapped his legs around hers. He rolled her over onto her belly and held her wrists together, wrapping the rope around them. Then, he moved her onto her back again and got on top of her.

"Get _**off!**_" she screamed, but her cry was cut off by Bill's mouth on hers.

He didn't bother to push the kiss too far, since he knew she would bite him. Instead, he merely pressed his lips against hers firmly enough so she couldn't wriggle away. Finally, after a few more moments, he pulled back. Kyna turned away from him and tried to squirm, but Bill wouldn't let her go.

"There we are," he said almost gently, with a sinister undertone to his voice. "Everyone's out of the way. It's just you and me now, Kyna."

The girl shook her head, unable to hold back her tears. She felt Bill firmly grasp her chin in his hand, and a few moments later, she felt the unbearable sensation of his lips against her neck. Wracked with sobs, Kyna tried with all her might to escape him, but it was no use. She was forced to remain still as the Butcher continued.

Holding her down firmly, Bill slowly made his way down her neck. He took his time in doing so. Soon, he reached her chest. Grimacing, Kyna started to struggle again as Bill licked down her stomach. Her actions were in vain, however, and he held her down with ease.

For the next hour, the Butcher tortured Kyna with his ministrations, burning with pride when she finally started showing reluctant signs of her arousal. All Kyna could do was cry. She let out all her pain, her hatred of Bill, and her self-loathing in her horrid sobs.

It was only when she reached her unwanted peak several times that Bill finally stopped. He heard the exhaustion in his captive's weeping, and decided to let her sleep the rest of the night.

_I've got all the time in the world with her now, after all…_

Kyna tried to wriggle away from the Butcher as he pulled her into an embrace, but he was too strong for her. The only thing she could do was cry herself to sleep.

**00000000000**

_**Let me know what you think.**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**And here we are again. Read on!**_

**patito-**** lol! Will do ;)**

**0000000000000**

For the next several days, Bill mostly left Kyna alone, much to the latter's relief. He had to sort out some things with his men, mainly seeing to the burial of all the fallen Natives. Also, he had heard of Tweed's displeasure of his actions against Amsterdam and the others, but he didn't want anything to do with that man. After sending a few of his men to speak with him, he decided to check on one other thing…

"What d'you mean, she's gone?"

"That's what we hear," said one of the Natives. "A fellow told me that on the day of the fight, he saw Jenny boarding a boat. Nobody's seen her since."

Bill nodded and turned away, walking down the street.

_That ungrateful little wench…I saved her life, and this is how she thanks me? First, she fucks that cockroach, and then she leaves here for good?_

After a few minutes, he finally shook all thoughts of Jenny from his mind. When he started thinking about the lovely prize waiting for him on his bed, his anger dissipated. Eventually, he passed a slightly worn-down clothing store, and an idea entered his head…

OOOOOOOOOO

Despite still being tightly bound to the bed, Kyna was deeply grateful for being left by herself. Of course, she was still heartbroken beyond belief over what had happened, but it was a bit better when Bill wasn't around to rub it in.

_Oh, God, why did you let him do it? How could you let him take all of them away? Quinn, Amsterdam, Shang, Jimmy, Monk, Johnny…__**all**__ of them! It's far too many, and none of them deserved it at all! __**He**__ deserves death!_

Her thoughts were interrupted when the door opened. She turned away, not bearing to look at her captor. Bill noticed this, but paid it no mind. Instead, he placed the parcel he was carrying onto a nearby stool.

"I brought you something, Kyna."

She didn't even bother to look. Bill took off his hat and coat before turning to open the package. He pulled out a pretty-looking orange dress. The fabric wasn't very thick, but it was good enough for his liking. Eyeing Kyna, he walked over to her and held out the garment. After a few moments, the girl couldn't help but glance at it. She was a bit taken aback.

"Wh…what's that?"

"What's it look like?"

Kyna was still confused.

"I…you said I wasn't allowed to wear anything."

Bill walked to the side of the room and set the dress down.

"True, you're not. Not in here, at least. But I didn't think you'd want me to take you outside without any clothes on."

At this, Kyna was completely bewildered. Bill saw this and chuckled slightly.

"Yeah, I did some thinking. If you stayed in here forever, you wouldn't be able to move around much, and you wouldn't be as limber. So I've decided that taking you out for a walk every so often would do you good."

Kyna closed her eyes, sickened by his motive.

_Taking me out for a walk…like I'm some sort of pet to him…_

Then, the tiniest bit of hope flared within her.

_If he's taking me outside, I might be able to get away from him long enough to find some way to end my life. Even if I escaped him completely, I have no desire whatsoever to live._

She gave no notion of her secret plan, maintaining her mournful demeanor.

OOOOOOOOOOOO

True to his word, the Butcher gave the dress to Kyna the next afternoon for her to put on. She put up a bit of a fight, not wanting to let on about her ideas by being submissive. As Bill finally led her outside, he kept a vice-like grip on her wrist.

"If you even _think_ about trying to run," he said dangerously, "I'll make you regret it."

Kyna nodded, looking down at her feet.

_I'm not afraid of you. What more could you possibly do to me?_

They started walking through the Points. Kyna was a bit surprised that Bill's men weren't with him. He was always seen with them. What would people think if they saw her with him instead? She secretly prayed that someone would help her.

Unfortunately, nobody did. A few people looked at her with pity, but wound up turning back to what they were doing. After a while, they passed a few of Jenny's old friends. Kyna eyed them curiously, looking for the red-haired woman. Bill followed her gaze and spoke.

"She's gone."

"What?"

"She left on one of the boats the day of the scuffle. So don't think she'll rescue you or anything."

Kyna looked away, tears filling her eyes. Bill saw this and moved his free hand to turn her face towards him.

"Don't be sad," he sneered mockingly. "She wouldn't have been able to help you anyways. Just like she couldn't help the Vallon boy, or your precious sweetheart. She ran away, Kyna. She left them all behind…and she left you behind."

As he said these words, Kyna noticed that they were passing a man who was chopping firewood and stacking the pieces into a pile. She slowly reached out with her free hand and took one of the pieces while Bill was momentarily looking away. Just as he leaned in to press his lips against her cheek, Kyna swung the log at his head with every ounce of her strength.

Bill snarled in pain, backing up and impulsively letting go of Kyna. She instantly dropped the log and ran. Her blood felt like it was on fire as she propelled herself down the walkway. Just one more building corner, and…

Suddenly, she stumbled and fell. Looking back, she saw Bill's knife in her skirt, pinning it to the ground. Bill was storming at her, a look of pure rage on his face. Before Kyna could even try to get up, he was upon her. He yanked her up by the arm, ripping a large tear in her dress. Without a word, Bill reached down, reclaimed his knife, and started dragging Kyna back towards Satan's Circus. She, however, started to struggle frantically, tears falling down her cheeks.

"Let me go! Don't touch me, **let me go!**"

Then, Bill seized the front of her dress and shoved her violently against a nearby brick wall. Kyna tried to wriggle away, but he pinned her hands against the side of the building with one of his. He then took the knife and cut open the side of the dress, exposing the right side of Kyna's chest. Bill eyed a place that hadn't yet been tainted by a scar of his creation…right over her heart.

Kyna shrieked in pain as the Butcher started cutting into her skin. She squirmed with all her might, but he moved closer to her, pressing his body tightly against hers. Finally, after a couple more agonizing minutes, Bill removed the knife from her and continued hauling her towards their destination. Kyna could barely walk, and she was doubled over in pain, clutching at her bleeding wound. However, she regained her thoughts a few seconds later and yanked at Bill's grip, moving forward to stomp on his foot. He growled furiously as his captive started running again. Still, it didn't take long for him to catch up with her. He wrapped both arms around her, pinning hers to her sides, and dragged her back after several minutes of her furious exertion.

OOOOOOOOOOOOO

"You've got some fucking nerve," he snarled as he slammed the door behind them and threw her to the ground, tossing his hat and coat away. "Out of the goodness of my heart, I allowed you to go outside, and _**this**_ is how you thank me?"

Kyna tried to get up, but before she could, Bill reached down and yanked her up by her hair. She screamed in pain and tried to free herself, but the Butcher was too fast for her. He pushed her onto the bed and grabbed her wrists again, reaching for the rope. No longer caring what happened, Kyna lifted her leg and kneed Bill in the groin, forcing him to let go. As the girl jumped off the bed and ran for the door, Bill suppressed the pain and stormed at her, tackling her to the wood floor.

"Get off of me!" Kyna wailed, rising to her knees, only to be seized again. "Let go!"

Bill wrapped his arms around her from behind, holding her firmly against his chest. She tried vainly to escape, nearly reaching her breaking point.

"_**Let me go!**_"

"Easy, easy," Bill said, trying to placate her. "Calm yourself."

Kyna screamed, tears flowing down her face. Every ounce of her sorrow and heartache came stampeding out, and her vain struggles grew weaker. All the memories of her parents, of Quinn, of her friends…she simply couldn't hold it back anymore.

After about five minutes, Bill finally felt her go limp in his arms.

"Are you done?" he asked.

Kyna didn't answer, so he took that for a yes. He carefully lifted her up and carried her to the bed, laying her on her back. She looked away as he yanked the ruined dress off of her and tied her to the headboard once again.

"I even got you this nice dress," he snapped, "and you went and ruined that, too. You'll be wearing nothing on our walks from now on."

The girl didn't respond. She was too numb to give any thought to what he was doing. Bill tore a piece from the dress and dipped it into his nearby basin before using it to clean Kyna's wound. She winced in pain and shut her eyes until he was done. Then, after shooting her one more angry glare, Bill turned towards the door.

"I'll go get your supper," he said. "You'd be smart not to fight me, you're in enough trouble as it is."

Kyna sighed in slight relief as the Butcher left the room, shutting the door behind him. She glanced curiously down at her new injury. What she was made her stomach churn.

It read **WC.**

_His initials…dear God, his blasted __**initials**__…_

She closed her eyes, feeling the tears again.

_So he thinks he owns me just because he branded me like a cow? Well, he's wrong. I'll never belong to him. Never…_

**0000000000000**

_**Let me know what you think.**_


	3. Chapter 3

_**Hi, again. Enjoy!**_

**patito-**** Yeah, another reviewer told me that if the GONY fandom weren't practically nonexistent, my story would get more reviews…but no worries! I'm just glad a handful of people like it. And I'm quite glad that you're liking it too =)**

**00000000000**

"Christ, what's wrong with you?"

Kyna had been woken up by a churning feeling in her stomach. She dry heaved for a few moments, and vomited just as Bill brought the waste bucket over. Slightly panicked, Bill cut the rope from around Kyna's wrists, allowing her to lean forward a bit more towards the bucket. After taking Kyna's hair into his hands and pulling it back a bit, he looked away.

_Jesus…what, she's gonna die on me now? What's this about?_

If this weren't the third morning in a row that the girl had thrown up, he wouldn't be so concerned. He wasn't exactly keen on the idea of calling the doctor, but at this point, he didn't know what else to do.

OOOOOOOOOO

After promising the doctor certain death if he were to try and help Kyna escape, Bill let him in to see her. Still, as he went to help her, she tried to squirm away.

"No," she sobbed. "Let me alone. If I'm sick, just let me die!"

Bill went around the bed and held her down long enough for the doctor to get a good look at her. Kyna could do nothing but squirm again Bill's iron-tight grip, praying for it to end. Luckily, it didn't last for very long. The two men got up from the bed, and after gazing at Kyna for a moment, the doctor motioned for Bill to follow him outside the room. He complied, turning to the doctor as soon as the door was shut.

"Well?" he asked quietly. "What's wrong with her?"

"No diseases or anything," the doctor whispered, "but she is pregnant."

Bill had to suppress the urge to roll his eyes.

_Oh, God almighty…_

"Hm. All right. My boys'll pay you when you get downstairs. Get out."

As soon as the doctor was gone, Bill went down the stairs to find the madam of the Circus whores.

"Hey, Mabel!"

"Jesus, Butcher! Tryin' to give me a bloody heart attack?"

"What do you use on your girls for when they get knocked up?"

Mabel was a bit taken aback, but she answered swiftly.

"Well…there's a tea we make, with a bit of cohosh and spice. If the girl drinks it, the baby bleeds out within a couple days. Nasty process."

"It doesn't really leave any lasting damage, right?"

"No, sir."

"Have one of your girls make some and bring it to Jenny's old room."

"Fine."

OOOOOOOOOOOOO

Bill made his way back up to his room. He didn't relish the idea of fatherhood in the least bit, but he didn't want to cut up Kyna any more than he already had. If this had to be done, he didn't want his bed all covered in blood.

"Come on," he said, lifting Kyna into his arms.

She fought him weakly, but he held her tightly enough to suppress her struggles.

"Nothing too badly wrong," he told her while bringing her to the designated room. "They're making you medicine to get you better."

After they reached Jenny's old place, Bill put her onto the bed and seized her wrists just as she was attempting to hit him.

"Easy," he said menacingly, pinning her arms down. "Don't hurt yourself."

A few minutes later, two of the whores walked in, followed by Mabel. One of them was holding a teacup.

"Here, honey," the woman said, holding out the cup.

Kyna tried to back away, but Bill grabbed her from behind with one arm.

"You gotta force it, she'll fight you," he warned the girls.

He grabbed Kyna's chin with his free hand, while Mabel moved forward and weighed the girl's legs down with her body. The girl who wasn't holding the tea helped hold Kyna down the rest of the way, and the remaining girl held out the cup. Eventually, they were able to force Kyna's mouth open and pour the tea down her throat.

She sputtered briefly, but most of the liquid had made it down. The girls backed away. Bill did so as well, but only a bit. He looked at Mabel momentarily.

"How long?"

"It'll start within an hour or so."

Kyna looked at the woman with fear.

"What? What's going to happen?"

"You'll be all right," one of the girls said. "You're just bleeding out a child."

Kyna's heart nearly stopped.

_Child…what?_

"Someone had best stay with her, sir," Mabel said. "Stop her thrashing and all."

"Fine," Bill answered, wiping a bit of sweat from his brow. "The two of you watch after her. Mabel, get her food when she needs it and let me know when it's done."

With that, Bill got up and headed towards the door. Kyna stared after him, simmering with anguish and rage.

"It's yours, you know that!" No answer. "So you'd kill your own child? Your own **baby?**"

Bill didn't answer as he walked out the door, shutting it behind him. Kyna leaned back against the pillow, avoiding the eyes of the remaining girls. She shut her eyes, praying for the nightmare to end.

OOOOOOOOOOOO

It didn't. In fact, for the next few days, pain was all Kyna knew. Not just the horrid aches in her belly, or the sight of her blood pouring down her thighs, but the unbearable agony swelling within her head.

_That monster…it's bad enough he'd kill innocent people that he barely knows…but he'd allow the death of his flesh and blood?_

After it was finally over, when the girls didn't see any more blood, all Kyna felt was numbness. Regardless of who fathered it, a life was inside her. A tiny, bean-sized, and innocent life had been inside of her, but its own creator had ended its miniscule time as a living thing. It couldn't even defend itself.

The two girls helped Kyna back to Bill's room. She didn't even try to fight them. After laying her down on the bed, one of them looked at her with pity and understanding. She reached a hand forward and gently stroked Kyna's cheek. When Kyna didn't react, the girl left with her friend. All Kyna had the strength to do was roll over onto her side, willing herself to fall asleep.

OOOOOOOOOOO

It was nighttime when the Butcher returned. He looked at Kyna with satisfaction, relieved to be rid of his burden.

_Good. Now I'll know what to do if it happens again._

Mabel had warned him that it was best for him to not have his way with her for at least a week, so that her body would have time to heal. He felt that was fairly reasonable, given that Kyna wasn't going anywhere. Still, he would definitely miss being able to indulge himself with her for a while, despite his patience.

After a bit, Kyna's eyes opened. She saw him, and her heart sank. However, she willed her courage to fill her, not wanting to be so afraid.

"Wasn't too bad, was it?" Bill asked nonchalantly.

Kyna just stared at him, in awe of the darkness of his heart. Bill merely returned her gaze and spoke again.

"Really certain it was mine, huh?"

"It was."

"So you never spread those pretty little legs of yours for your sweetheart?"

Kyna ignored the pain caused by that comment, standing her ground.

"No. Unlike you, he was a gentleman who would never force a woman against her will. Only cowards do that."

Trying not to lose it again, Bill moved towards her threateningly.

"Have care how you speak."

"Why should I? You _still_ don't understand. I'm **not** afraid of you!"

"Well, you should be."

"Do not depend on it. You can't do anything more to me."

Bill stared at Kyna for a really long time before slowly sitting down next to her on the bed. Staring deeply into her eyes, he spoke.

"That's an awfully foolish thought."

He leaned towards her, placing one arm on either side of her.

"There are plenty of things I can still do to you. Maybe I've already done most of them, but I can do more of it. I could always break some of your bones, or press hot iron to your skin. Maybe I'll even start taking kids off the street and killing them in front of you."

His gaze suddenly became passionately dark.

"I can show you pain that you never thought existed. And every time you defy me and deliberately rebel against me, that is exactly what you're going to get. You'll die someday, Kyna, but let me tell you…the time between then and now will go by a lot faster if you just accept your fate and stop making things worse for yourself."

He got up off the bed and headed for the door. Using her only remaining energy, Kyna spoke.

"What do you want?"

Bill stopped and looked back at her.

"What do you _want _from me?" Kyna asked again.

Things were silent for a long time. Then, after what seemed like forever, Bill answered her question.

"You."

With that, he walked out the door, locking it behind him. Kyna leaned back against the bed, her skin crawling.

_Well, Mr. Cutting, that's one thing you're never going to have. Not in soul or heart, at least. And there's nothing you can do about that._

**0000000000000**

_**Well, I hope this chapter was interesting. 'Til next time!**_


	4. Chapter 4

_**Hi, again! This chapter mainly has more to do with inner thoughts than with violence, so no warnings. Read on and enjoy.**_

**patito-**** Interesting suggestions…thanks for reviewing =)**

**0000000000000**

Most of the soreness had left Kyna within the next week, but not the pain in her mind. She felt so weak, weaker than she'd ever felt. A child, _her_ child, had been brutally ripped from her at the wishes of its own father. She knew that the Butcher truly lived up to his name, but…not quite to this level.

The only blessing was that for the entire time since it happened, Bill had barely laid a finger on her. Any time spent away from him was sacred to her. Every once in a while, she could just lie there, and if she thought hard enough, her friends and loved ones would return to her. Today was one of those lucky days. They would reach towards her, comforting her with their words…

And then, in the late afternoon, the door opened, yanking Kyna from her sanctuary. She blinked a few times as she heard him approaching her.

"I have a gift for you."

She didn't budge, so Bill reached forward and took her shoulders, moving her so that her back was against the headboard. He then sat next to her and moved her so that she was turning away from him slightly. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a necklace and looped it around Kyna's neck, fastening it securely.

Kyna looked down at the gift. It was a tiny little jewel of a slightly milky color. It was encircled by a thin gold frame, which linked it to the chain. If anyone else had given it to her, Kyna would have thought it was beautiful. But she knew it was just another way of the Butcher displaying his supposed ownership of her.

"Do you like it?" Kyna didn't answer, but the tears filling her eyes gave it away. Bill brushed the thought aside and continued. "I want you to keep it on at all times. Don't ever take it off."

The sound of the words leaving his mouth made Kyna cringe, and she turned away from him as much as she could. Bill was surprised to feel the tiniest bit offended at seeing her reaction, but he held it down and got up.

"You must be hungry. I'll go get you something."

As soon as he had left the room, Kyna released her tears.

_It's like I'm a dog to him. Or a livestock animal labeled so that it can be returned to its proper __**owner**__…_

Kyna snapped. With a silent cry, she reached up and yanked off the necklace, breaking the chain after a few hard tugs. Then, she hurled it across the room with all her strength. If it were open, she would have thrown it out the window. But Bill kept it closed at all times so that Kyna wouldn't ever try to jump from it.

She knew he would be upset when he saw what she had done, but she didn't care.

_Let him do what he wants. Let him beat me to death, for God's love. It doesn't matter!_

About ten minutes later, the door opened and closed again. Bill brought some food over to the nightstand and placed it down, moving to sit next to the girl. Then, he noticed a line of blood on her hand.

"Hey." He took her hand into his and examined it. "What's this?"

Bill looked at Kyna, expecting an answer. What he found was that his present to her was no longer there. In an instant, pure fury filled his being.

"You took it off, didn't you?" She didn't reply, so he gripped her wounded fingers, making her gasp in pain. "Answer me!"

"No, pixies flew in and stole it," Kyna answered with malice.

In an instant, Bill seized the girl's shoulders, squeezing them tightly. He stared into her rebellious eyes, growing angrier by the second. In a couple more seconds, he was sure to explode.

Bill shoved her away roughly before turning from her, looking all over the room for the necklace. Kyna looked at him, slightly curious. Judging by the furious look on his face, she was positive he would hit her. It seemed that he forced himself away from her to avoid hurting her, which was surprising.

After a few minutes, Bill found the necklace partially lodged in a crack on the floor. He picked it up and tucked it away into his pocket before turning back to Kyna. Despite still being angry, he no longer felt the desire to harm her. He walked over to her and reached under the bed, pulling out the rope. After tightly binding the girl's wrists and ankles, Bill walked back towards the door.

"It's obvious you can't be trusted to keep still, so I'll have to leave you like that whenever I'm gone." Kyna frowned angrily at this. "I don't know when I'll be back."

With that, he was gone. Kyna sighed in relief, secretly glad that Bill didn't hurt her. She was sure he would do one of the things he threatened to do. The thought of one of her bones snapping was frightening enough, but she was petrified of being burned. Against her better judgments, she found herself feeling grateful towards him.

Kyna shook her head, mad at herself for thinking such thoughts.

_This is his plan, Kyna! He's trying to slowly earn your trust so you'll magically worship him someday. You can't give in!_

Wincing slightly at the tightness of the rope, Kyna closed her eyes and tried to settle down.

OOOOOOOOOOOOO

It hadn't been hard at all to get the necklace fixed, but that wasn't the real issue for the Butcher. He was angry that Kyna had defied him like that, taken it off when he had specifically told her not to. After pocketing it once more and leaving the store, Bill took a small walk next to the docks.

It was slowly starting to get a bit less warm as New York entered August. Still, it didn't seem to stop people from their work. It was a bit less active during the evening, which Bill liked. Truthfully, he would never usually go walking unless his men were with him, but he knew he was in little danger. Besides, he had to think things over on his own.

He didn't bother denying his feelings for Kyna to himself, but he wasn't sure what they were. It wasn't exactly love, but…what was it?

_It's not only lust for her, physically. But…it's just different from all the rest. For some odd reason, I don't want to hurt her anymore. I mean, I've already broken her like I said I would, so isn't that enough?_

_ I'd promised to make her love me, so that I could hurt her soul in the worst way. Making her fall in love with her mother's killer…But…Christ, I can't possibly __**love**__ her, right?_

He scoffed at himself while walking, but he couldn't help but ponder further.

_Then again, I do admire her. She tried to kill me when she was a __**kid,**__ when it was certain she wouldn't succeed. For her mother's sake…it's like it didn't matter whether she herself lived or died. Then she __**spoke**__ to me after making me think she'd lost her voice for all that time, threatened me with my own cleaver. Damn…Kyna…she didn't give a fuck for her own safety, she just wanted her loved ones to be all right._

Bill hadn't met a lot of people like that, with such courage. In fact, most of the folks he had encountered in his lifetime, whether he killed them or not, had never even been worth remembering. The Vallon boy was a coward for trying to kill him like a sneak, and Johnny was too scared to stand up for himself, only choosing the winning side, the safe side. Monk was a somewhat influential man in Bill's view, but he was naught but an Irish bug who was stupid enough to think he would be someone here.

In all the people he could think of, Bill could only think of two people that truly stuck out, the same people who stuck out before. "Priest" and Kyna were equals in his book, for mostly the same reasons. Vallon was able to act on these reasons on several occasions, and while Kyna was never truly able to do anything to protect herself or others, she sure as hell tried. She didn't care what happened, but she really used every ounce of her strength. And for Bill, trying was just as noble as actually doing something.

_Very well, Bill. Admit it, you've got some kind of sick love for her. Truly fucked up, but I guess it's still love._

_ From now on, if I need to punish her…nah, __**when**__ I need to punish her, I won't physically hurt her. I'm not gonna turn into one of those sweet little nancies from fairy tale books, but I…I'll just be gentle. I'll be nice. And she'll hate it. She'll hate it so much that she won't disobey me anymore, and then I'll keep being nice._

_ I'll still take her for walks, but other than that, she'll stay isolated. It might take a while, maybe a couple years, but…sooner or later, she'll see that I'm all she has left, and then she'll be completely mine._

He smiled at the thought, but resolved to maintain his normal personality around everyone else but Kyna. He would still be a butcher, just not towards her.

_Consider yourself lucky, Kyna. You're the only one that doesn't have to be afraid of me. Not anymore._

**0000000000000**

_**There will be more action in the oncoming chapters. I hope you liked this one, though! =)**_


	5. Chapter 5

_**Hello again. This chapter is fairly explicit, so beware. Otherwise, enjoy!**_

**patito-**** Thanks, I'm glad you're still liking it =)**

**00000000000**

The next few days were somewhat slow. Bill wanted to spend some time away from his captive, but it was proving to be very difficult. Ever since taking that walk, he found himself thinking of almost nothing but her. He was barely able to keep himself from growing too obsessed, for the sake of maintaining his fearful reputation.

One afternoon, he was playing cards with his men. He didn't talk, only when he absolutely had to. As the minutes ticked by, Bill felt that time was passing at an unbearably slow rate. His men were slightly confused, but they knew better than to ask. The previous day, a fellow named Charles made the mistake of mentioning that Bill's hand was a bit slower than usual. He was lucky to survive with one less finger.

A thought suddenly crossed Bill's mind. He dropped his cards down on the table.

"Enough for today," he said, not bothering to look at anyone. "Out."

Everybody got up to leave, leaving him sitting limply in his chair. As soon as the place was virtually clear, he got up and walked over to where the water pot was.

OOOOOOOOOOO

In one of the upstairs rooms, there was a metal tub for whenever any of the girls had to wash themselves. For the past hour, Bill had been heating water in the pot, bringing it upstairs, pouring it into the tub, and going down to get more. After he brought up one more shipment of water and dumped it in, he set the pot down and headed towards his room. After all that time, the water wouldn't be quite as warm, but he'd find a way to warm her up later.

After opening the door and walking in, Bill went over to Kyna and picked her up. She immediately started to squirm as he carried her out of the room.

"What're you doing? Where are you taking me?"

Bill didn't answer as he took her into the washroom. After turning to close and lock the door, he carefully set her down on the ground next to the tub and placed his hand on her bound ankles.

"No worries. I'm just giving you a bath."

Kyna shook her head vigorously.

"Not you. I can wash myself."

Bill laced his fingers around the rope, being careful not to squeeze too hard.

"I'll be the one washing you, Kyna."

"I don't want a bath," Kyna said, her skin crawling at the thought of his touch. "I don't need one!"

"It's been weeks since I last washed you, alright? Quit your whining." Before the girl could protest further, Bill spoke again. "We can do this the easy way or the hard way."

In an instant, Kyna reared her legs back and tried to kick him. But he was too fast for her. He grabbed her legs and pushed them away from him before rising to his feet, walking to the opposite side of the tub. As he started to remove his clothes, he noticed Kyna trying to crawl towards the door. He made no move to stop her, since he knew she wouldn't get far, even if she did manage to open it.

After tossing a nearby rag into the water, Bill walked over to Kyna and scooped her up. As she was carried over to the tub, Kyna squirmed with all her strength. But she was helpless as he lowered both of them into the water.

For the next several minutes, Bill simply sat there and patiently held onto Kyna as she tried frantically to get up. It was no effort on his part to do so, due to the girl's petite frame and short stature. Still, he didn't hold her any tighter than necessary.

Tears rolled down Kyna's cheeks as she felt herself becoming weaker. Bill's grip was far too strong for her to break, but she was desperate to get away. Despite the fact that they had touched many times before, she still felt disgusted being anywhere near him, let alone unclothed with him in a bathtub. It made her want to rip her own skin off and burn it.

Eventually, she stilled. Bill pulled her a bit closer to him and reached down to undo the ropes around Kyna's ankles. She tried to squirm away, but her captor quickly held her legs down with his and reached for the rag. Kyna could do nothing but sob softly as the Butcher started to wash her body. He took his sweet time with it, being very careful not to be too rough. Though Kyna had stopped squirming for the moment, he didn't loosen his grip on her just yet. Several minutes later, Bill allowed his hold on her to slacken the tiniest bit in an attempt to calm her. It had the exact opposite effect.

The minute she felt it, Kyna immediately tried to get up again. But Bill was too quick for her. He tightened his grip once more as Kyna put up one final struggle for freedom.

"Let me out," she practically begged, sobbing weakly. "Please, _let me go!_"

"Shh..."

Bill held onto her as gently as he could without hurting her, moving the rag down her stomach. He stroked her arm with his restraining hand, gingerly rubbing his fingers up and down her skin. Kyna turned her head away as much as she could, desperate to get away. Bill momentarily dropped the rag into the water and reached his hand up to grasp the girl's forehead from behind. He carefully pulled her head back to rest on his shoulder before leaning down to tenderly kiss her neck.

"Oh, _stop…_" Kyna whispered, tears streaming down her face. "_Don't…_"

Her pleas were ignored as the Butcher continued, trapping her in his unrelenting embrace.

OOOOOOOOOOOO

Some time later, after Bill got out and dried himself off, he put his clothes back on and reached down to lift Kyna into his arms. She didn't bother to fight him as he took her out the door and went back to the bedroom. After laying her on the bed, Bill turned around and shut the door, being sure to lock it before moving back towards Kyna. As he got closer, Kyna saw the look on his face, and she didn't like it one bit.

Bill silently sat down on the bed and undid the damp rope around Kyna's wrists, reaching up to loop it around the bedpost. Then, he laid a gentle hand on her shoulder. Not wanting any more attention from him, Kyna tried to pull back, but Bill moved his free hand to her other shoulder, holding her down against the bed. This was the last straw. With a new drive of desperation, Kyna started thrashing in his grasp, beating her small fists against his chest. Without a word, Bill swiftly grabbed each of her wrists and bound them to the bed.

"Still gonna make me tie you?"

Kyna looked at him with horror and disgust as he stood up and started undressing again, not taking his eyes from hers. Her tears soon broke free as she turned away, praying for him to finish with her quickly. But she knew her wish wouldn't be granted.

Bill moved over her very slowly, sitting on her thighs to halt her squirming. Kyna turned away as much as she could, but a few seconds later, she felt the Butcher's hands grasp her face and turn it back towards him.

"Stop…" she whispered as Bill leaned down to kiss her jawline. "Oh God, _stop!_"

"Shhh," he breathed against her neck. "Hold still."

Bill moved further down Kyna's body and moved his hands underneath her shoulders before gently moving his mouth over one of her breasts. She groaned in disgust and squeezed her eyes closed. Staring up at her, Bill added a bit of suction, circling his tongue around her hardening peak. Kyna sobbed in embarrassment, ashamed of her body's reaction.

After a few minutes, Bill switched to the other breast and gave it the same treatment. Closing his eyes, he moaned softly against her skin, savoring the taste. Kyna pulled at her wrists with all her strength, but it wouldn't loosen. All she could do was cry and struggle in vain as she felt Bill's lips trail down her stomach before beginning an agonizingly slow attack on her nether area.

The feeling was so horrid and disgusting. Kyna squirmed as vigorously as she could, but was overpowered with ease. As she felt the burn welling up in her lions, a moan forced its way out of her. After a few more minutes, she felt herself reaching her peak.

"Jesus Christ, get **away!** _No_…"

Bill merely looked up at her and poured all the rest of his passion into what he was doing, carefully taking her bud between his lips and stroking it with his tongue. He breathed in her scent with satisfaction as he felt her release ripple through her.

As Kyna was catching her breath, she barely noticed Bill make his way back up her body. By the time she did, he was already devouring her mouth with his, flooding her tongue with her own fluids. He grasped her face, gently wiping the sweat from her skin. After a few moments, Kyna yanked her head away, forcing Bill to break the kiss. He merely moved behind her and pulled her into his arms, suppressing her struggles.

"Shh," he whispered in her ear. "Go to sleep."

Kyna could only lie there and cry, waiting almost endlessly for the sweet release of her dreams.

**00000000000**

_**Well, I hope you liked this one.**_


	6. Chapter 6

_**Hi again. This one's a bit angsty, but not too graphic. Read on and enjoy!**_

**patito-**** Thanks, I'm so glad you're still liking it =D**

**000000000000**

Kyna woke up the next morning to make an unwelcome discovery. While she slept, Bill had refastened the necklace around his captive's neck, a bit tighter this time. The girl instantly tried to take it off, but her hands were still tied. Nevertheless, she still tried to squirm out of her binds.

"Got it fixed for you."

She looked up to see Bill standing next to the bed, looking at her warningly.

"Don't even think of trying to take it off again."

Kyna glared at him as he turned away and walked over to where he kept his suits.

"Well, I am thinking of it." Bill continued to dress, but he felt a spark of anger within him. "You can't control my thoughts, just as you can't make me fear you."

As Bill finished lacing his shoes, he slowly lifted his head to leer at her.

"After all," Kyna finished, "there's nothing to fear."

Not taking his eyes off of her, Bill got up and walked to her side again.

"You sure about that?"

"Why not? The worst's past already."

Bill stared deeply into her eyes.

"Well, I'm gonna show you how wrong you are."

Without another word, he put on his hat and left the room, making sure to lock the door behind him. Kyna sighed in frustration and leaned back against the pillow. She glanced down at her necklace, itching to get it off. Still, after quite a while of struggling, her wrists were too raw to pull anymore.

Then, she had an idea.

_If I make myself bleed, I'll get it dirty and die of infection. Not the best way to go, but anything's better than this…_

Bracing herself for the pain, Kyna started twisting her wrists around again. She winced at the sting, but pressed on. With every tug, she pictured all her loved ones in her head to distract herself. Within a half hour, blood was trickling down her arms. After pulling a few more times for good measure, Kyna stopped.

She allowed her tears to fall and took a few deep breaths.

_God, it hurts…it hurts so bad…_

The rope rubbed against the wounds, making it even worse. All Kyna could think to do was lie still and think of happier times. Then again, it was hard to do even that.

OOOOOOOOOOO

After tending to his business for several hours, Bill headed back upstairs. He leisurely opened and shut his door before removing his jacket and hat. As he was taking off his boots, he glanced over at Kyna. He turned back to his feet momentarily before glancing back at the girl. A few lines of red were running down her arms, and he suddenly realized what happened.

"Oh, Christ," he groaned in annoyance. "Now look what you've done."

In an instant, he was out the door again. Kyna prayed to herself, hoping that he'd leave her be. Unfortunately, he returned after about ten minutes. He was carrying a basin and some strips of cloth. After walking next to the bed and placing the supplies on the nightstand, Bill reached forward to untie Kyna's wrists. The second she was free, the first thing she did was reach for the necklace.

"Oh, no you don't." Bill reacted quickly, grabbing Kyna's bloodied wrist. "No, just hold still."

Ignoring him, Kyna tried to wrestle her wrists away. Bill growled in frustration and climbed on the bed, straddling her hips. He felt his anger increase with every passing second of Kyna's squirming. Finally, after a few moments, something inside of him snapped.

"_**Stop**_ _it!_" he shouted, grasping her shoulders with both hands and shaking her slightly. "_**Enough!**_"

Kyna froze, staring up at him with fear. She hated the way he was looking at her. Sure, there was anger, but that wasn't what scared her. For a moment, she could have sworn that among the fury and danger, she saw a spark of caring. The very idea of the Butcher having any sort of attraction for _her,_ not just her body, filled her with horror.

_No, it's nothing like that. He hates me, just as I do him. All he wants is to hurt me, to make me betray myself by somehow loving him. But he couldn't possibly love me…_

Kyna's thoughts had somehow hypnotized her long enough for Bill to start cleaning the wounds on her wrists. She winced slightly, smelling some sort of herb in the air. She tried to make herself struggle again, but couldn't find the strength to do so. Before too long, Bill had finish disinfecting her wrists and had wrapped some of the cloth strips around each, making an effective bandage.

Then, he released her and carefully moved off of her, sitting down on the mattress. Kyna stared at him for a moment.

"All right, you got me. Now leave me alone."

Bill shook his head.

"I don't think so. I'll stay with you until you're healed, so I won't need to tie you." Kyna turned away, wincing at the thought. "What the hell were you trying to do? Did you think you could free yourself?"

"No," Kyna answered weakly. "I'm not stupid."

"Then what was it?"

She remained silent. Bill stared at her for a few moments before the truth finally hit him.

_Why, that little…she was hurting herself to bring on infection!_

Anger stirred within him once more, but he forced himself to suppress it. He remembered his promise to himself, the one about not causing Kyna bodily harm. Slowly rising from the bed, he walked over to the opposite side and looked down at her. She defiantly turned her body away from him in response.

As a minute or two passed, Kyna felt a tiny bit of dread enter her. She could only imagine what her punishment would be for this. The room was quiet, far too quiet for her liking.

Then, she felt a hand grasp her arm and pull her around. She looked back out of impulse, and was horrified to see that Bill was naked. Crying out in disgust, Kyna tried to jump forward off the bed, but he was too fast for her. He pushed her onto her belly and got on top of her, pinning her body down with his.

"No!" Kyna screamed, squeezing her eyes shut. "Get off of me!"

Bill wrapped his arms around hers and pulled her close, leaning down towards her ear.

"How does this feel?" he asked, pressing himself against her. "Tell me."

"Stop!"

"_How does it feel?_"

"Horrible!" she screamed, just wanting him away from her. "I hate it!"

Then, Bill took her upper arms and got off of her a bit, moving her onto her back. Before Kyna could try to fight, Bill was upon her again. Pinning her to the bed with his weight, he held her arms to her sides by wrapping his around her. She tried to squirm, but Bill pulled her closer, so that her chest was against his.

"Is it unbearable, Kyna?" he growled, feigning concern in his voice. "How bad is it?"

Nearly overwhelmed with sobs, Kyna tried to look away. However, Bill grabbed her face and forced it back towards his. Seeing her closed eyes made the smallest bit of hurt flow through him, and he leaned his head down to kiss her neck. Kyna cried out in revulsion, tears streaming down her face.

"Stop, **please!**"

"Then _look at me_."

After a few seconds, she unwillingly opened her eyes and stared into his.

"Stop, I can't _stand_ it…"

"I thought you said the worst was over," Bill said, running his thumb across her lips.

"Get **off!**"

"Answer me! Is this worse than the knife? Than _fire?_"

Kyna whimpered helplessly, her struggles becoming weaker.

"**Is it?**"

"_Yes!_"

"Well, you'd better get used to it. Learn to accept it, to accept me. You'll only make yourself miserable if you don't."

"No," Kyna sobbed, trying to turn away again.

Bill trailed one hand underneath Kyna and grabbed her bottom, pulling her against him even more closely. She sobbed in disgust.

"You'll grow to love this," Bill said quietly, staring into her eyes. "Just let go. Let _go,_ and it'll be a lot easier on you. You're all alone, Kyna." He moved his hand from her chin to her cheek, gently stroking it. "You don't have to be."

"You're wrong," she whispered, shaking her head. "I'm not alone. They're all with me. They won't ever leave me."

"I think they will. Time will pass, and they'll fade from your mind. Then, you really will be alone."

Kyna let her head fall against the pillow and cried. She shut her eyes and tried to shut out what was happening, but the Butcher continued to gently hold her throughout the day, not releasing her for even a moment.

_You're only making things worse for yourself, Kyna. But I know you'll give up eventually. It won't be too much longer now…_

**000000000000**

_**I'll update again soon!**_


	7. Chapter 7

_**And we're back. Happy reading!**_

**patito-**** Thanks so much for reviewing! And SO sorry to worry you with not updating in a while. I have indeed been pretty busy with work and family stuff. But I'll hop back on it =D**

**0000000000000**

_Early December, 1863_

It had started to get a bit chilly during November, but not to the point of the temperature being unbearable. Still, when she tried to sleep at night, Kyna found herself trying to hold back shivers. Her lack of clothing made it difficult for her to stay warm.

Despite this, she pushed past it and prayed for it to somehow get too cold and cause her freeze.

_I've always hated the cold, but…I've come to love things I used to hate before all of this._

Then, not long after the start of December, the first snowfall occurred. Everyone started dressing in his or her warmest clothes, and those who had them lit their wood-burning stoves. Bill had one in the corner of his room, but he decided not to light it. Normally, he would light his stove and sleep under a heavy blanket he had stowed away under the floorboards, but this time, he wanted to try something different.

One cold morning, he took out a very thin sheet and draped it over the bed. It didn't seem to help Kyna very much, as she was still shivering a bit. Bill didn't pay it much mind as he got dressed, since he didn't plan on leaving her alone long enough for her to get sick.

Since the incident with Kyna's wrists, Bill always tied cloth around them before adding the rope, so she couldn't pull something like that again. But he was smart enough to know that she was always looking for new ways to escape him.

_You must be thinking of freezing to death in the cold. Well, you won't. I'll not allow it._

After tying her, Bill walked out the door to tend to his business, leaving the quaking girl alone with her thoughts.

Only a few short hours had passed before Kyna was nearly senseless with the cold. Still, she used all the strength she had to push past the pain and concentrate on one of her very few remaining happy memories.

_"Hello, sweet."_

She smiled weakly as her mother appeared, sitting next to her daughter on the bed.

"Mum…"

_"Don't think of it, Kyna. Just look at me."_

The apparition reached forward and stroked Kyna's forehead, and she closed her eyes, relishing the touch.

"Will I join you today, Ma? Please, let me come up…"

Dairine suddenly looked sad, mournful of her child's death wish.

_"Don't say such things. There may yet be hope."_

Kyna closed her eyes and shook her head.

"No. He won't let me go, and there's nobody left..."

She winced, not wanting to admit that the Butcher was right. He was her only link to the outside world. Her only source of food and water was through him. Not that she wanted the nourishment, but she didn't have a choice. The only person left in her life truly _was_ Bill.

_No. God, no…_

Kyna blinked, and when she opened her eyes again, her mother was gone. No matter where she looked, Dairine was no longer in the room. Tears overflowed her eyes as she succumbed to her despair.

_Am I losing my mind?_

OOOOOOOOOOOOO

Upon his return in the early evening, Bill found Kyna in virtually the same state he had left her in. After letting her up to relieve herself, he went to get her supper. Kyna had lost the will to fight him on it a while before, having repeatedly learned the hard way that he would feed her if he had to force the food down her throat.

He no longer tied her down when they went to bed, since she knew he would overpower her. The only real need he still had for the rope was to still Kyna whenever he lusted for her, and even those instances had become rare. He wanted to keep her isolated as much as possible, according to his plan, so he was careful not to spend too much time with her.

After all of that, Kyna moved back onto the bed, not wanting to look at Bill any longer than she had to. Not long afterwards, as Bill undressed, he noticed the girl shivering. His idea was working pretty well. He looked at her and slipped under the nearly nonexistent sheet.

When she felt him touching her, Kyna started to squirm.

"Get away," she breathed, nearly insane with the cold. "Not tonight…"

"Ah-ah-ah, easy."

Bill took her shoulders and rolled her over to face him before pulling her close. She immediately resumed her struggles, but he tightened his grip fiercely.

"Hey, _knock it off_," he snapped. "It's the only blanket. We need to keep warm or we'll freeze."

"Let us freeze, then!"

"Quit acting like a baby."

Bill didn't let up on his hold as Kyna tried vainly to get away. What disgusted her most was that her body was crying out for the heat radiating from Bill's, and as ashamed as she was to admit it, her mind was doing the same. After a few more moments, she slowly forced herself to relax into his arms.

As he felt Kyna's squirms slacken in his embrace, Bill also felt a very unusual happiness run through him. It wasn't the same as when he killed someone, or when he got a bit heap of money from bets on a fight. That was merely the thrill of victory. But this…it was pure happiness. He hadn't felt that in a very long time, not since he was a child.

A few minutes later, just as Kyna was almost asleep, she felt Bill's hand rest behind her neck and gently pull her head against his chest. The sound of his heartbeat rumbled through her ear as he started to run his fingers through her hair, kissing the top of her head while doing so.

Though she was simply too tired and cold to fight it at the moment, Kyna allowed a few silent tears to roll down her cheeks.

**00000000000000**

_**I hope you enjoyed this one.**_


	8. Chapter 8

_**And here we are again. Read on!**_

**patito-**** Thanks, I'm glad you liked it =D**

**Rebs23-**** Why, thank ya! =)**

**000000000000**

_March, 1864_

The winter passed like a slow glacier. Needless to say, there were large handfuls of death all around the city, mostly in the Points. Several of the street-walkers and orphans froze, having no place to stay and keep warm. The streets still smelled of bodies as the snow thawed out, filling the air with an acrid aura.

But Bill insisted on walking through the entire mess, with Kyna in tow. Before winter, he had made good on his word to make her walk nude beside him, and during the cold season, he had dressed her in boots and a blanket…no more than what was necessary. But now, for some reason, he had changed his mind.

"Stand up," he told her one morning, wearing his green coat.

Kyna eyed him with defiance, but obeyed. He went behind her and took off the coat before putting it over her shoulders.

Flinching at the texture of the rough material, Kyna squirmed a bit. However, after Bill turned her to face him and buttoned up the coat, she thought it best to stop. However, she couldn't keep quiet as Bill took her arm and pulled her towards the door.

"What're you doing?"

"Would you rather go naked?" Bill snapped, looking at her warningly.

Kyna merely gazed back at him, not wanting to answer. He escorted her out the door the rest of the way, and before long, they were outside.

The smell of the air was unwelcoming to Kyna as they walked. As usual, people stared at Kyna with pity, but never did anything to help. Then again, she didn't expect them to. A great deal of time had passed since her capture, so there was nothing new to expect or hope for.

After a while, they passed the old barbershop hill. Kyna looked up at the building before glancing back down, haunted by the terrible memory. The cleaver sinking into Monk's back, the sound of his own club ending his life, and mostly, that gut-wrenching look he'd given her as he hit the ground…

_Did he want me to help him, while instead I just watched him die? No, I was held back…besides, he knew I couldn't have done anything. Bill would've killed me too. _

_ Still…I'd rather have died with Monk._

OOOOOOOOOOOOO

A few days later, Kyna was alone once more. The Butcher had been gone for hours, so she had plenty of time with her thoughts. Even so, her own mind was starting to drive her crazy.

_No. It's the Butcher's doing…what's he thinking? Is he purposely taking me by all these places, the spots where they all died? It must be part of his sick plan…_

She blinked for a moment, and Monk was suddenly by the bedside.

Her heart melting with a mix of joy and sorrow, Kyna stared at him, rolling onto her belly in an attempt to cover her privates. Monk merely looked at her for a while before speaking.

_"Can I tell you something, lassie?"_

Kyna didn't answer, so he stepped forward and sat on the side of the bed.

_"After taking you away, when the Butcher cut you up…I'd gone to bury your mother, but before that…I made a promise to her."_

He paused momentarily before continuing.

_"I swore that I would care for you, protect you. I did my best, I suppose, but…perhaps I could've done more."_

Kyna shook her head at this.

"No. You did everything right."

_"But I made a mistake. I shouldn't have turned my back on him. Perhaps more people would still live…and you wouldn't be here."_

"You kept true to your office, Monk…"

_"Oh, blast the office. I broke my word to your mum! Sure, I told her if anything were to happen with you, it'd be over my corpse. But I should've been able to keep him away from you long afterwards."_

"He's nothing but a dog," Kyna said. "You would've killed him in a fair fight, and he had no thoughts of being fair, whether your back was turned or not. It ain't your fault, Monk."

After a few moments, Kyna smiled without humor.

"You always told me that what's important is surviving, no matter what. But…every reason for surviving, any hope of a decent life…it's all gone. He's taken all of it. Monk…I don't have to survive anymore, right?"

Monk looked at her with sadness and regret, reaching a hand out to stroke her face for a moment.

_"I would've said to keep fighting, but…I never knew Bill could keep someone around that long. He's far too obsessed with you to let you die. For now, I suppose I could say…your reason to live, it's to make it to the day where you'll join us. And he can't keep that from you. It'll come. Just keep us in your thoughts until then. Don't let us go, no matter what he says."_

"Oh, why was it me? There's a thousand girls in the Points, why'd he have to take me?"

Monk gazed at her before answering.

_"Because you're different. All the others, they're the same. Sleeping around to get ahead, thinking only of their gains. But he's never encountered pure selflessness and love in someone before…not in a woman, at least. It's got nothing to do with your body. It's your soul he wants. All of it."_

Her worst fear was realized. Tears falling down her cheeks, she looked pleadingly at Monk.

"You don't mean he's…"

Monk removed his hand from the girl's face.

_"I'm sorry, Kyna. Just don't let go. Don't let go…"_

"Monk…"

And with that, he was gone, leaving Kyna to dwell in her horrors.

OOOOOOOOOOO

The next morning, Kyna expected to find herself alone as she usually did. Instead, she was met with an unwelcome surprise.

Bill's hand glided up her side and stroked her shoulder. Kyna tried to get up, but he wrapped an arm around her waist from behind and draped his legs over hers, effectively pinning her down. She shut her eyes and tried to block it out, but it was no use. Bill's eyes were also closed as he took in the feel of the girl's soft flesh. He pressed his lips against her shoulder before trailing them across her back.

Unable to take it anymore, Kyna forced herself to try and break the silence.

"You in love with me or something?"

Bill's movements ceased. Kyna expected him to scoff at the notion and go into one of his taunting speeches, but that didn't happen. He was still for several moments.

Finally, after a while, Bill put both arms around Kyna and pulled her against him, putting his mouth next to her ear.

"Suppose I am?"

Kyna's heart practically stopped as Bill kissed her earlobe.

"What would you think of that, hmm?"

But Kyna didn't hear him. She was far too imbedded with her own fears and terrors. Bill merely chuckled slightly before resuming his kisses.

A strong numbness had completely enshrouded Kyna.

_Oh, God. Please, no…he's gotta be messing with me. Anything but that…_

**000000000000**

_**I hope you enjoyed this one!**_


	9. Chapter 9

_**Read on and enjoy.**_

**patito-**** Haha, indeed… ;D**

**00000000000**

_Mid-June, 1864_

Kyna didn't really know what to think anymore, since Bill rarely interacted with her after his supposed confession. She tried not to think about whether he was lying or telling the truth, but it was still a heavy question on her mind. After all, if it really were true, then there wouldn't be a chance in hell of Kyna freeing herself.

_The Butcher never gives up what he truly cares about. He'd die before letting it go. Please, don't let it be true…_

She forced the thought from her head with all her strength, trying to think of something else. But that was getting harder each day, as her defiant spirit grew weaker.

Still, there was a bit of it left. She didn't know how long it would last, but she intended to fight until the very last possible moment. Until then, she thought of her loved ones as much as she could, which was quite often.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOO

_July, 1864_

Bill was certain that he was going insane. No matter where he went each day or what he did, whether he was playing cards with the boys, butchering meat, or roughing up some of the immigrants, he simply couldn't get his mind off of Kyna.

He barely even touched another woman since abducting the girl. For some odd reason, he felt almost guilty every time he thought of doing so. But he didn't want to force himself on Kyna too often, so he continued to keep his distance, wanting to make her dependent towards him in every way. A small part of him was desperate for her to be willing, and that feeling was growing a bit more each day.

By the time July arrived, he'd had just about enough.

_Christ, it's been a year already, since…I'm a patient man at times, but I don't know how much longer I can take it…_

He threw down his hand of cards and got up, walking over to where the nighttime partiers and drunkards were gathered. After propositioning a redhead whore, she led him up to her room.

OOOOOOOOOOOOO

_"Kyna, love…"_

She opened her eyes, and was overjoyed to see her precious Quinn sitting next to her on the bed. Tears overflowed her eyes.

"Quinn. Oh, _Quinn_…take me away…"

The illusion could only look at her with sadness.

_"Don't, Kyna…don't give up just yet. We can't stay if you don't hold on…"_

"But…oh, I _can't_ hold on anymore! Please…"

At that moment, more figures appeared behind Quinn. Kyna saw her parents, Monk, Amsterdam, Johnny, and others, and they all had the same expression that Quinn did.

"I can't," she sobbed as Quinn stroked her face. "Please, I…I just _can't_. Not without you…"

Heartbroken, Quinn slowly leaned forward and kissed Kyna, who closed her eyes to relish the feeling. Then, he withdrew his hand and stood up, backing towards the others. Kyna panicked at this.

"Wait! No…"

_"I'm sorry,"_ Quinn said, shedding a tear. _"We all are. But…we'll be waiting for you on the other side. Just live for that day, and we'll be together again."_

"Please…"

_"Good-bye, Kyna."_

They were gone. Kyna blinked several times, but they didn't return. Senseless with grief and desperation, she released her sobs.

"_No!_ God, _please_, no! Don't leave me…"

OOOOOOOOOOOOO

"Make yourself comfortable, Bill," the woman said with an intoxicated smile.

Bill restrained the urge to roll his eyes, but sat down nonetheless. The lass shut the door behind her before turning back to Bill and sauntering towards him.

She was pretty, but the Butcher wasn't nearly as entranced by her as he was with Kyna. The only reason he picked this woman was because of her hair, and even that wasn't the same.

As the prostitute went behind Bill and started rubbing his shoulders, he felt even sicker to his stomach.

_What the hell's wrong with me? I'm the fucking Butcher! I'm cold-hearted and merciless, I ruin lives! I shouldn't be feeling these things!_

Without a word, he threw the woman's hands away and got up, storming towards the door. After throwing it open, he slammed it shut and rammed his fist against a nearby wall. Like always, he buried the pain, but couldn't help but lean on the wall, clutching his knuckles. For the next few minutes, he merely stood there.

Then, after taking a breath, Bill got up and headed towards his own room.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

He heard sobbing as he approached his door. After opening it and walking in, he locked it tightly. Sure enough, Kyna was the source of the loud cries. She saw him approaching and looked at him with pure hatred before turning away.

"What now?" Bill muttered as he untied Kyna's wrists. "Hurting yourself again?"

Kyna wrapped her newly freed arms around herself as she buried her face in the pillow, almost trying to smother herself.

"You…you win," she said, barely holding back her cries. "Whatever you're trying to do, you can stop now. You've broken me. I'm weak, just as you said! Please, just _kill_ me! I give up!"

Bill looked at her, slightly curious, and sat down on the bed.

"What about that stuff you said?" he asked. "You kept telling me your friends would always be with you, right? Aren't they still here?"

Kyna wanted to attack him for mocking her, but she simply didn't have the strength for it anymore.

"No."

Bill was a bit surprised by this, but he didn't show it.

"They left you, huh?"

"Y-yes," Kyna whispered, squeezing her eyes shut.

"Just like I told you they would?"

Not wanting to answer, Kyna hid her face with her hands. Bill moved to her side of the bed and took her wrists.

"Come on, answer me. Didn't I tell you they'd leave you alone someday?"

Overcome with utter sorrow, Kyna nodded.

"But you didn't listen, right?"

"_Stop,_" Kyna begged, shaking her head.

"I won't stop." Bill grasped her hands into his, squeezing them. "'Cause I was right. They up and left, didn't they?"

"No…"

"Don't deny it. They're gone. They've abandoned you, so how can they still love you?"

"Shut _up!_"

Kyna tried to pull her hands away, but Bill would have none of it. He moved his hands behind the girl's shoulders and yanked her against him.

"You just don't want to hear it, do you? You've been alone all this time, but you've tried to act all tough in front of me. How about now? D'you still feel tough?"

"**Stop it!**"

"_Do you?_"

Kyna reared her leg up to kick him, but Bill was too fast for her. He moved onto the bed the rest of the way and got on top of her, wrapping his arms tightly around her to stop her thrashes. She screamed, wanting so much to fight off what she knew was true. But she was becoming more and more weak, and more exhausted.

After several long and agonizing minutes, Kyna had no choice but to stop. She cried, completely overtaken by her fatigue, her anger, her hatred, her grief, and the loss of all she loved.

"_No,_" she whispered, losing all control. "Kill me, _kill me…_"

Bill didn't say anything. All he felt compelled to do was simply hold her, to wait patiently for her to give up the rest of the way.

"My…my head…"

"What about it?" he asked, not knowing if Kyna was talking to him or herself.

"It _hurts_…_so much_…my…"

Bill looked at her for a moment before carefully getting up and walking over to the water basin. He threw a rag in and soaked it, taking it out and going back to the bed. Kyna barely seemed to notice him as he moved behind her, taking her shoulders to make her body lean back against his. Finally, Bill placed the cloth on Kyna's forehead. He placed one hand over it to hold it down, while wrapping the other arm around the girl's body.

"Easy," Bill muttered, resting his face against hers a little bit. "Just take it easy."

A tiny voice inside of Kyna was screaming at her to keep fighting, but her mind had lost the strength for it. As she felt her eyes grow heavy, she tried to think of something relaxing. But no matter what, all she felt was emptiness.

**0000000000000**

_**Let me know what you think.**_


	10. Chapter 10

_**Hello again. Read on!**_

**patito-**** Thanks for your continued support =)**

**00000000000000**

Kyna's body ached something awful the next morning. Once she saw that she was alone, a small surge of relief ran through her. However, it was soon replaced by an unexpected feeling of despair and lonliness. Knowing that trying to free herself was useless, Kyna rested her head on the pillow and cried.

Her sorrow was starting to completely overtake her mind. No matter how hard she tried, the memories of her loved ones weren't quite bright enough to shine through the cloud of darkness. Her thoughts were becoming weaker with every moment. It was so quiet now, far too much so. The sounds of the Points didn't help, as all they did was fade away into nothing. There wasn't anything for her to hang on to. All she wanted was the sweet release of death.

_God…if there even is one…take me from this miserable place._

OOOOOOOOOOOO

Bill simply wanted to kill time at this point. None of his usual activities really held his interest anymore, save for his butchering. That was the only thing that helped a little bit. Whenever he was frustrated about Kyna, which was quite often, some poor carcass was always there for him to take it out on. Even so, he was nearly out of his head.

_Why can't I think straight? Am I really that gullible, all for one girl? _

As he repeatedly plunged his knife into the deceased hog, he ran his thumb over the blade.

_Maybe I should just put her out of her misery._

The thought left his head as quickly as it had entered it. Bill growled quietly, angry with himself for thinking it. As much as he didn't care to admit it, he really didn't want to kill her. In fact, the very thought of seeing Kyna dead made him feel sick to his stomach. As frustrated as he was with himself, he was especially angry with her.

_What's with her? Her friends are all dead, so why does she keep putting herself through this? Why can't she make it easier on herself and just…?_

His thought trailed off as a word he always scoffed at hearing crossed his mind.

_Forgive…_

Bill felt a small impulse to hit himself for thinking such things. He wasn't stupid enough to think Kyna would ever grow to love him, let alone forgive him. Then again, her mental state was questionable enough to leave room for doubt. Still, he couldn't block the part of him that longed for her to forgive and love him.

_But good God, she's infuriating._

OOOOOOOOOOOOO

When he returned to the room that night, Bill saw Kyna facing away from him. Her eyes were closed, but he knew she was awake. After walking to the water basin to rinse the blood from his hands, he glanced at her again.

"Are you ever gonna give up?"

There was a long moment of silence.

"I _do_ give up," she answered weakly. "There's no point in letting me live any longer."

"Oh, but you haven't." Bill walked over to the bed and stood over Kyna, reaching down to untie her. "You're just saying you have."

"They're gone, I told you. I'm done fighting. That's the only reason you want me, 'cause I fight you."

"You're lying," Bill said as he sat on the bed and faced her. "I don't think you're done fighting me. You'll never be done."

Kyna didn't answer. Bill stared at her for a moment before resting a hand on her stomach. He started trailing the other hand up the girl's thigh, and she immediately started squirming.

"See? There's still plenty left in you."

"Why?" Kyna asked, tears filling her eyes. "What did I ever do to you? Is this all 'cause of that cut on your hand?"

"That? Nah."

"Then _what?_" Kyna wailed, wanting it all to end. "What the _fuck_ d'you want?"

"Give all of yourself to me."

"I have! You've taken all there is to take!"

Bill moved his hand from her belly to her chest, pressing it over her heart.

"And what about this?"

Kyna figured out what he was referring to after a few moments and slowly shook her head.

"You'll never have it. You're stupid to think so."

Bill stared at her, not blinking once.

"Ah, but I can see right through you. The lonliness is getting to you, isn't it? Otherwise, you wouldn't have begged me to kill you. Even now…"

He started moving his hands over her again, and she wriggled weakly.

"See? You're making yourself fight me, but you don't really want to. You just want someone to hold you, even if that someone is me."

"_No_…"

"You want the pain to go away, the years to pass quickly. You need that so badly, but your pride is the only thing stopping you."

"That's not true!"

Bill leaned down and snaked his arms around her. Kyna tried to pull away, but to her horror and shame, she found herself being drawn to his touch.

"There, see?" he asked, looking deep into her eyes. "All you have to do is let go of your anger."

"I…I _can't_," Kyna whispered, her tears getting the better of her.

"Yes, you can."

"Then give them back. All of them! My mother, Quinn, Monk, my friends, every innocent person you've killed…give them all back, and I'll forgive you and love you forever! That's what you want, right? Give them back to me! _Give them __**back!**_"

Kyna allowed herself to be pulled against Bill as he tightened his hold. As she wept, every ounce of resistance left in her simply ran out like water from a bucket. The agony had reached an unbearable point, and her mind couldn't take another moment of it.

She rested her face against his chest and wrapped her arms around herself. Bill moved one hand up and gently stroked her hair, relishing the feeling of her body against his.

"Shh," he said softly. "That's it, just let it out…"

The two of them sat like that for several long minutes. After a while, Kyna's cries finally started to soften.

"There," Bill said, looking down at her. "Isn't it better to let it go?"

Kyna didn't want to answer, so she forced a small nod. Bill moved back a little bit and took her face in his hands.

"Come on, that's no answer. It _is_ better, right?"

"Yes," Kyna whispered, closing her eyes.

"Yes, it is. And doesn't it feel nice to not be alone?"

"I wasn't…"

"Ah-ah-ah," Bill scolded, not letting her deny it. "Yes, you were. I was the only one there, but you were shutting me out, weren't you?"

There was a long pause before Kyna finally answered.

"Yes."

"That's right. They never visited you. It was all in your head, but you were too stubborn to admit it, right?"

"I…I was."

"And now they're gone, but I'm still here. I could've left you alone for the rest of your life. D'you want to be alone?"

"_No,_" Kyna whimpered, fresh tears filling her eyes at the very thought.

"Aren't you happy I'm with you?"

"Y-yes."

"And you're grateful for having me, aren't you?"

Kyna nodded.

"Say it."

"I'm grateful," she whispered.

"So, will you be more polite from now on?"

"I will..."

"You sure?"

"Yes, I _promise_."

"You're not gonna fight me? You'll do what I say?"

"_Yes._"

Bill looked into the girl's eyes, feeling satisfied and accomplished. He lowered his hands from her face to her shoulders, gently pushing her onto her back and moving over her.

"Give me a kiss."

Kyna looked away, not quite willing to give in. Bill started to get up.

"Okay, I'll leave."

"No! Don't, _please!_"

"Then do it."

Kyna closed her eyes and leaned her head up, pressing her lips against his for a second or two. He looked at her as she stopped.

"That's not a real kiss. Give me a real one."

"But I…"

"You what?"

Kyna's face went red.

"I don't know how."

"Sure, you do. Come on."

As Bill leaned down, Kyna made herself kiss him again. She felt his tongue brush at her lips, and after a few moments, she let him in. Only a couple seconds of this had passed when Bill broke the kiss.

"I didn't tell you to lay there like a corpse."

"But…we're kissing."

"No, I kissed you. You still haven't kissed me."

Kyna waited a moment, but Bill's look of warning compelled her to act. As he kissed her once more, Kyna forced herself to respond. She felt Bill moan softly against her mouth in approval. After about a minute, he pulled back.

"There's a good girl," he said with a smile.

Kyna closed her eyes as Bill kissed down her neck and across her upper chest. He looked up at her and stopped for a moment.

"Look at me," he said, and the girl's eyes opened. "I want you to watch this."

Her eyes brimming with tears, Kyna watched as the Butcher moved his mouth over her breast. She couldn't hold back a moan after just a few moments of his ministrations. As Bill observed her, his own arousal grew. He moved a hand down Kyna's body, still trailing his lips over her smooth skin. Staring deeply into Kyna's eyes, Bill carefully slipped a finger inside of her. She arched her back, losing herself to him…

OOOOOOOOOOO

For the next several hours, Bill didn't allow Kyna a moment of rest. And she didn't allow herself to fight him. She just let herself be comforted, however temporary it might have been.

Afterwards, as they lay on the bed, Bill ghosted his fingertips over the girl's skin, resting his forehead against the back of her neck. For the first time in a while, he closed both eyes, soaking up the euphoric feeling of having her all to himself.

But Kyna thought otherwise.

_I'll never love you, Butcher. No matter what happens, you'll never make me care an ounce for you. Sure, you may think you've beaten me, that I'm a weak nothing, but I've still got my heart. You may have taken my friends, my will to fight you, hell, even most of my sanity, but…you'll never have my love. You can keep thinking it all you want. But it's something you'll never have, and there's nothing you can do._

**0000000000000**

_**Let me know what you think.**_


	11. Chapter 11

_**Hi again. **__**SOOOOOO**__** sorry for taking so long, but I just spent a week in Ireland and it's time for school once again. Anyways, read on!**_

**patito-**** Thanks for reviewing =D**

**00000000000**

_1868_

The noises coming from outside were completely numb to Kyna now, and the prison that was the bedroom had turned into an empty void that went on forever. The silence and emptiness made her head spin painfully, to the point of nearly driving her mad. Kyna still hated Bill with every fiber of her being, but he was right. She was desperate for any form of company, and since the Butcher was her only remaining human contact, she didn't have any other choice.

The tears she'd been trying to hold back started to fall. She tried to wipe them impulsively, but her hands were still tied. With every moment that passed, a fiery anger filled her soul. Anger at herself, at Bill, at the world, at God for allowing all of it to happen…

OOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Bill didn't quite know what to think when he saw Kyna's still form on the bed. A small part of him missed her rebellious spirit from years before, but his satisfaction with breaking her greatly outweighed it. He put down his hat and stepped out of his shoes while wriggling his coat away from his shoulders. After letting it fall to the ground, Bill slowly walked over towards Kyna.

Her eyes were closed, but it was hard to tell whether she was asleep or not. Not caring which one it was, Bill carefully sat on the bed and lay on his side next to her. He propped himself up on one elbow and reached out his free hand. Kyna's wrists slackened as the rope released them from confinement. Bill placed both of the girl's hands by her sides before moving his fingers softly across her neck. He lightly touched the necklace that still graced her throat, and a rush of pride ran through him at the thought of his triumph over her.

Moving even closer to her, Bill moved his arm over Kyna's belly and wrapped it around her waist, pulling her tightly against him. He leaned down and pressed his lips against her shoulder, taking in the sweet scent of her hair.

OOOOOOOOOOOOO

She was awake. Her mind was simply too tired to react to Bill's touch. All she could do was lie there limply as her captor ran his hand across her stomach and kissed her neck with gruff tenderness. A feeling of yearning swelled up within her as her body welcomed the man's affections, but another part of Kyna wanted to push him as far away from her as she could. Yet the need for a man's embrace was a bit too much for her to resist. Kyna allowed herself to relax as Bill started to kiss down her chest.

"_Kyna…"_

Her heart nearly stopped as she heard the distantly familiar voice inside of her. She thought nothing of it after a while, but suddenly, a face flashed across her mind.

_Quinn!_

The face disappeared just as quick as it had appeared, but Kyna still remembered it clearly, as if it hadn't left.

_"…we'll be waiting for you on the other side. Just live for that day, and we'll be together again."_

Tears filled her eyes as memories of her sweetheart flooded into her. His loving smile, his arms protectively tight around her, the look of pain in his face as the Butcher slowly killed him in front of her…

Kyna's heart burned in anger as she suddenly remembered.

_That's right. The Butcher took him away from me. He took every part of me for himself. __**Everything**__…_

As Bill lifted his head for a moment while rising onto his knees, he did not see Kyna's clenched fist coming at him. Pain exploded across his face as she hit him hard in the jaw, cutting his lip in the process. He growled and stumbled back slightly, only to be harshly kicked in the stomach and knocked off the bed. A ripple of pain ran through his belly and back, but he forced himself to suppress it. Lifting a hand to his maimed lip, Bill slowly looked up at Kyna. She panted angrily, leaning against the headboard with her arms wrapped around her knees.

"Don't touch me," she hissed, her face burning with rage. "Don't _fucking_ touch me!"

Bill carefully sat up, not taking his eyes off her for a moment.

"Well," he said casually, "that wasn't very nice. You wouldn't want me to leave for a while, would you? Leave you in your lonliness?"

"It would be a blessing if you left and never came back."

"You're a bit wrung out, Kyna. Just take a breath. I'll make you feel better…"

"**No!**" Kyna shrieked as Bill slowly rose to his feet and approached her. "Stay back! I don't want you anywhere near me!"

Bill stopped in his tracks.

"You didn't say that yesterday," he muttered, turning to spit some blood from his mouth before turning back to her. "Not the day before that either. Or any other day. Why the sudden change of heart?"

"Ch-change?" Kyna asked incredulously. "What, you think I've been helplessly in love with you all this time? Surely you didn't think that?"

Bill sneered slightly, but Kyna saw right through him.

"Oh," she breathed, forcing a chuckle. "You _did_. And you actually thought I…"

She started to laugh, igniting a flame or rage within Bill's soul. He rubbed his swollen lip and maintained his firm gaze, but there was no way to hold back or deny the ache in his chest. True, he believed that Kyna loved him, and after coming to that conclusion, had allowed himself to accept his own love for her. He had let himself feel his only weakness, and now…

"You thought I loved you?" Kyna sat up on her knees and looked at him bitterly, making him all the angrier. "So _stupid!_ How dull are you to believe I would ever love you? There's nothing to love!"

While she was talking, Bill had slowly moved closer to her, keeping his hand on his lip, while his free hand clenched into a fist by his side.

"Am I making you angry, Mr. Cutting?" Kyna asked, feigning innocence. "Are you going to hit me and make me weak, so you don't have to look at your own weakness?"

Bill stopped directly next to the bed, his face inches from hers. As each second passed, the searing fury flared hotter and hotter within him.

"_My_ weakness?" Bill hissed. "You're the one who's clung to me in desperation for the past four years. You needed me, and you still do."

"I didn't need _you_. All I wanted was to not be alone."

"You're alone without me."

"No," Kyna snapped. "_He's_ with me. I forgot him all these years, but…he didn't leave me. He's here with me now, and he's not going anywhere."

"You've really gone crazy, haven't you?"

Bill leisurely reached a hand towards Kyna's hip, but she shoved it away.

"I said don't touch me!"

Ignoring her, he reached out again. Before Kyna could move to strike him, Bill grabbed both her arms and turned her around. He pulled her tightly against him, holding her wrists in front of her. She squirmed with all her might.

"Let go of me!" she cried. "Get away!"

"Oh, but you love this," Bill said, his lips right next to her ear. "Nothing makes you happier than when I touch you here."

"No, I can't stand it!"

Holding on to her wrists with one hand, he trailed the other down her belly. Before it could reach its target, Kyna was able to lift her bent leg slightly and kick back, hitting Bill in the knee. His grip loosened a bit, and Kyna rammed her elbow into his chest. She turned to look at him, her face burning with anger.

"You're a fucking liar," Bill growled, barely holding himself back. "I saw the bliss in your eyes every time."

"I _never _wanted it from you! I always told you to stop, but you just violated me whenever you pleased! But that's how it _always_ is, right? You take what you want so you can feel strong, because you're not strong unless everyone fears and loves you! But nobody ever _did_ love you, _did they?!_ You always—"

Before she had a chance to finish her sentence, Kyna was silenced by Bill's hands around her throat.

"I don't need your love," he barked in her face. "I don't need **anyone's **love!"

He climbed onto the bed, grabbed the girl's shoulders, and roughly turned her over onto her belly. Pinning her wrists behind her with one hand, he began freeing himself with the other. Kyna tried to struggle, but Bill hauled her hips up until her inner thighs rested on his knees.

"You don't want pleasure from me?! Fine!"

Gripping her thigh tightly, he entered her violently from behind. Kyna shrieked in pain, since he'd never before taken her without preparing her body. Bill continued his attack, allowing all of his pent-up anger flow out with every thrust.

"How's this?" he growled, bending over to speak into her ear. "You like this better?"

Kyna started to sob, overwhelmed by the horrid agony. Bill wrapped his arms around her and lifted her up, only to shove her against the headboard. He continued his vicious assault, grabbing a handful of Kyna's hair and yanking her head back against his shoulders.

Bill thought that hearing Kyna's painful cries would make him feel better, but it didn't. In fact, it only made him feel worse. After all, the things she said to him were the absolute truth.

His mother had died after giving birth to him, and his father was always leaving him by himself. Eventually, he was left at a children's orphanage while his father went off to fight in the war. He always worshipped his father for fighting and dying for his country, but a very small part of him had a constant ache, wishing that the man had shown him even an ounce of love. But he never did.

Bill had buried that part of himself under layers of toughness for so many years. He'd never allowed himself to love anyone. He knew that the people who were supposedly his friends were only hanging around him for their own personal gains. All the whores he bedded had muttered sweet nothings to him, but he wasn't stupid. He knew they wanted to be seen with the Butcher, and perhaps gain an ounce of respect. Everyone was the same all around New York.

But not Kyna.

She had genuine love for her friends, and for her mother. Nobody he ever knew would've had the sand to attack anyone out of revenge, let alone him. He had never seen anyone so caring, and with so little regard for her own safety.

Yes, he truly had fallen in love with her.

_Just my luck…to love the one person who'll never love me back._

Not bearing to hear Kyna cry for another moment, Bill pulled out of her and got up. He stormed out the door and slammed it behind him before entering an empty room nearby. Taking out his cleaver, he threw it blindly across the room, hitting a clay vase and shattering it on impact.

Then, as if all the strength in his body had suddenly left him, he sank to the floor, leaning back against the wall. He brought a hand up to his face, trying to stop the tears that were flowing down his cheeks. But there was no way to do so. All he could do was sit there, drowning in his heartache and tears.

OOOOOOOOOOOOO

This was the first night Kyna had fallen asleep alone, and she couldn't have felt more grateful for it. After a while, she was able to ignore the horrible pain between her legs enough to fall asleep.

She blinked, and Quinn was next to the bed.

_"My sweetheart,"_ he whispered, tears of sorrow in his eyes. _"My poor flower."_

"Oh, Quinn…"

The young man sat on the bed and lay down next to Kyna, wrapping his arms around her quaking form.

_"I'm here, love. You remembered me."_

"I'm sorry," Kyna wept. "I was so weak, so alone…"

_"You're not weak, Kyna. None of this is your fault."_

Kyna closed her eyes, tears falling down her reddened cheeks.

"How long?" she whispered. "How much longer must this go on?"

Quinn brought a hand up to cradle the girl's face.

_"I promise…it will not be long until we're together again."_

Kyna's eyes opened.

"How do you know?"

_"I just know. I can feel it."_

Kyna blinked back more tears as Quinn leaned down and kissed her eyelids.

_"Sleep, my love. I'm right here beside you."_

Kyna shut her eyes and reached out, wrapping her arms tightly around Quinn's middle.

"Quinn…"

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

_"Quinn…"_

Bill's insides twisted as he heard the girl whisper in her sleep. After a few hours, he had gone back into the room and found her asleep. Since she wouldn't see him, he had taken it upon himself to lie down by her and envelop her into his arms. A small dash of hope had flared within him when she embraced him back, but it was shattered at the mention of her dead lover.

Nonetheless, Bill merely tightened his arms around her and leaned down to press a soft kiss against her forehead.

_What to do now, Bill?_

**0000000000000**

_**Again, so sorry for the wait, but I hope you liked this one.**_


	12. Chapter 12

_**And we're back. I hope you like this one.**_

**0000000000000**

She felt warm. As Kyna started to open her eyes, it felt as if something was wrapped around her. After extending her fingers, she discovered some sort of fabric. It was soft, thick, and very warm. She opened her eyes and looked down to discover a blanket draped over her.

Kyna started to turn over, but a wave of pain suddenly ran up her pelvis. She winced as the memories of the previous day suddenly came back.

_No, don't think about it! That's just what he wants…_

As she moved to throw the blanket off of her, Kyna was startled to see Bill on the far side of the room. He was sitting on a chair with his arms crossed, watching her intently. Kyna wrapped the blanket around herself, looking down.

"You warm enough?" Bill asked.

Kyna glanced up, expecting to see the usual smirk. But it wasn't there. In fact, if she didn't know any better, she'd think that Bill almost looked concerned for her.

Bill slowly got up and started walking towards the bed.

"No," Kyna snapped, trying to hide her fear. "Stay away!"

"Calm down. I just want to see if you're hurt."

"You wouldn't care if I was dead and rotting. Don't touch me!"

Bill tugged the blanket away and reached toward Kyna's knees. When she started to struggle, he got onto the bed and sat on her thighs, seizing both her wrists.

"Easy," he said gently. "I'd rather not have to tie your hands."

Kyna looked at him as he squeezed her wrists almost reassuringly.

"I'm just looking."

She tensed up, but forced herself not to squirm as Bill slowly let go of her wrists and sat back. He carefully moved his hands to her knees and gradually spread them apart.

The girl's inner thighs were slightly bruised, and there was some dried blood around her opening. Bill was able to hide it with his icy exterior, but his heart burned with guilt. After a few more seconds, he got up and walked over to the water basin. After wringing out a wet cloth, he sat down next to Kyna's legs and showed her the rag.

"I'm just gonna wipe you up a bit."

Kyna didn't react, but she didn't object either. Moving slowly as to not hurt her, Bill dabbed at the blood until it started to come off. He heard her whimper in pain every once in a while, so he let up on the pressure a little bit and softly rubbed her knee with his free hand.

Once he was done, he got up and put the rag back before moving towards Kyna again.

"That better?"

When the girl turned to face him, he saw the angry tears in her eyes.

"Why're you doing this?"

"What?"

"Last night, you made me bleed and nearly killed me. But now, you're all gentle and cleaning my wounds. _Why?_"

Bill sighed deeply before speaking.

"Look, I—"

Suddenly, his stomach felt pained. It felt like that every once in a while, but in recent weeks, it had become more frequent. He bent over slightly, clenching his fist tightly.

"What?" Kyna asked.

Bill waited a moment before shaking his head.

"It's nothing. I'll go get you some water."

He walked out the door before Kyna could say anything else. As he walked down the steps, he worried about his pains.

_It's probably nothing serious._

OOOOOOOOOOOOO

The next couple months proved Bill drastically wrong. Not only did the pains not go away, but other unpleasant things also accompanied them. Shockingly, Bill's appetite had decreased drastically; he didn't even have the will to eat his own meat anymore. He had also started getting sick to his stomach. When traces of blood started showing up in his vomit, he begrudgingly went to see the doctor.

After hearing the symptoms and examining Bill, the doctor took a breath and swallowed fearfully.

"Out with it," Bill said impatiently. "What's going on with me?"

"Well, Mr. Cutting, I'm sorry to have to tell you this, but…you have some sort of cancer in your stomach."

Bill's heart dropped as he heard this.

"Anything you can do?"

The doctor looked down and shook his head.

"I've seen this sickness before, and I'm afraid none of them survived. No kind of surgery will help, as you'd bleed to death before I'd be able to do anything."

The pitiful man cringed, expecting Bill to kill him immediately. However, Bill merely stood up and walked out the door.

His whole life started to appear before his eyes. Vague memories of his father, the horrors of the orphanage, battles with the Irish immigrants, defeating Priest…

_Kyna…_

Bill's heart skipped at the thought of her. He knew he wouldn't be able to kill her, but as he grasped the knife handle at his side, an idea struck him.

_Well, Kyna, looks like you're gonna get your wish._

**0000000000000**

_**I know this chapter was a bit short, but I hope you liked it.**_


	13. Chapter 13

_**Read on. I hope you like it.**_

**patito-**** Thanks so much =)**

**0000000000000**

He left Kyna alone that night. She wouldn't have wanted him around anyways. Bill sighed as he sat down on the bed in one of the spare rooms. He bent over to unlace his shoes before reaching up to remove his waistcoat.

The whole time he was undressing, Bill didn't even notice his limbs moving at all. The only thing on his mind was his imminent death. He knew he wouldn't live forever, but still, he didn't think it would be so soon. All he ever wanted was to prove himself to the world, to show everyone how strong and formidable he was.

But as the seconds passed, Bill realized that none of that mattered. The only living person he cared about, the only thing he ever wanted so badly in his whole life, was the one thing that he could never have, whether he lived for another year or another twenty years.

As Bill got down to his slacks and lay down on the bed, he knew exactly what he was going to do the next day. However, it was making him uneasy.

_I've got no more than a couple months left. If I die in my sleep or something, who knows what my men will do to Kyna? But…I can't kill her myself, nor can I watch her be killed by someone else. _

After about an hour or so, Bill's eyes started to close. And he made his decision.

OOOOOOOOOOOOO

The sun was just starting to rise as Bill quietly entered the bedroom. After shutting the door behind him, he looked towards the bed.

Kyna looked like an angel in her sleep. She was lying on her side, her hand lightly resting over her belly. Her pale skin almost shimmered under the faint light of the sun. Bill took a deep breath and slowly walked over.

After slipping off his pants, he carefully climbed onto the bed and settled on his side behind the girl's sleeping form. He reached a hand out and gently tucked a stray lock of Kyna's crimson hair behind her ear. While trailing his hand down her shoulder towards her waist, Bill leaned down and rested his face in the crook of his captive's neck. Her sweet scent started to overtake Bill, and he rolled Kyna onto her back and pressed his lips against her skin, wanting to savor every second.

OOOOOOOOOOOOO

Kyna slowly woke up to the feeling of someone's arms wrapping around her, and greedy lips kissing down her neck. Her eyes opened slightly, and she recognized Bill. Though disappointed to see him, she no longer had the strength in her heart to fight him off. Her mind was tired, as was her body.

As her eyes fluttered, Quinn's face appeared before her, and his form took the place of Bill's. Kyna didn't know whether or not she was going crazy, and she didn't care anymore. All she could do was close her eyes again and lean back as tiny bursts of pleasure started to run through her.

OOOOOOOOOOOO

Bill's heart raced as he heard the soft gasps coming from Kyna. He reached a hand underneath her and rested it on her back, pulling her closer to him as his kisses reached her chest. His free hand softly rubbed her breast, while his lips occupied the other one. He closed his eyes, taking a moment to stop and listen to Kyna's heartbeat.

He felt Kyna's frail hands rest on his shoulders, but he wasn't foolish enough to think that she saw him as being the one pleasuring her.

_She's thinking of that boy…_

But Bill had longed to see her content and relaxed, and he had reached the point where he no longer cared what she imagined, as long as she was happy.

He trailed a hand down and moved it to Kyna's center. After finding it sufficiently moist, he gently slid a finger into her. Kyna gasped, overwhelmed with the feeling. Bill pulled her against him as he started moving his finger in and out of her at an increasing speed. It wasn't long before she released, moaning in ecstasy.

After removing his finger, Bill moved further down Kyna's body. Resting his hands against her hips, he planted gentle kisses against the skin of her inner thighs. He looked up at her, relishing the sight of her shaking her head back and forth in her cloud of euphoria. Bill kept his eyes on her as he gradually begun his attack on her heat.

Kyna cried out. All the other times Bill had done this to her, he had been quick-paced and savage about it. But now, the feeling was soft and gentle. He rubbed one hand against the girl's belly, while keeping the other against her thigh to keep her thrashing under control.

When he couldn't hold back any longer, Bill made his way back up Kyna's form and took her face in his hands, desperately pressing his lips against her cheek as he carefully slid into her. Kyna moaned, her brain swimming with bright colors. She leaned her head back against the pillow, but Bill pulled her face closer to his. As he moved within her, he rested his forehead against hers, trying desperately to get through to her somehow. He knew it wasn't going to happen, but continued nonetheless.

Just as Kyna reached her peak, she opened her mouth to cry out. Bill immediately leaned down and pressed his lips against hers as various pictures flashed across his mind. But even as he remembered all he did, none of it mattered. Nothing mattered to him at all, nothing except for Kyna.

As their bodies calmed, Bill rested his head against her chest, listening to her racing heart. He panted, hoping the sweat on his face would disguise the tear rolling down his cheek. They remained that way for a while.

_Well, Kyna, your day has come at last._

Bill suddenly lifted himself onto his elbow and reached under the pillow, pulling out one of his knives. Kyna saw it, but she wasn't afraid. However, she was a bit surprised when Bill took her hand and placed the knife into it, wrapping his fingers around hers to make her grasp it.

She looked up at him, confused.

"Go on," he said, looking her right in the eye. "It's what you've wanted, right?"

He moved her clenched hand so that the knife was against his neck. Suddenly realizing his intentions, Kyna shifted back and sat up a bit. Bill released her hand as she pressed the blade against his skin.

"You're serious?" she asked.

"You hate me with all your being. You've prayed to see me dead, so go on. Kill me."

OOOOOOOOOOOOO

Looking deep into Bill's eyes, Kyna thought long and hard. Why on earth would Bill tell her to kill him out of nowhere? He'd kept her for five years. Why the sudden change?

Then, she noticed how different he looked. He had lost some weight during the recent months, and she'd heard him retching a few times in the room next to theirs.

_Maybe there's something wrong with him, and he wants me to end his pain. He would've kept me much longer had he not been sick._

Tightening her grip on the knife, Kyna hardened her gaze at Bill.

"You want me to kill you?"

Bill nodded.

"You want to kill me as well. So go ahead. Do it."

Kyna's heart raced, and she made her decision.

_Very well, Bill. I'll kill you, but not in the way you want me to._

Without a word, Kyna turned her wrist and swiftly pulled it to her, plunging the long blade deep into her chest. Bill's eyes widened as the girl bit back her cry of pain. Moving quickly, Bill pulled the knife from the wound and cut off a piece of the pillowcase. Blood gushed from Kyna's chest as Bill pressed the cloth against it to stop the bleeding. However, the red liquid soaked right through it. Panic consumed Bill as Kyna started bleeding to death beneath him.

He held onto her and put his hand against the wound, desperate to stop the flow of blood. Looking at her face, he tried to search for answers. One last look of triumph from Kyna was all it took to give it to him.

_Your last revenge against me…you knew I couldn't stand to see you dead, so that's exactly what you did…_

Kyna's vision started to blur, and the pain from her wound started to dull. Suddenly, a woman appeared next to the bed and reached out a hand.

_"Come now, my sweet,"_ Dairine whispered.

Kyna smiled weakly and allowed her mother to pick her up. They headed towards the sky together, with nothing holding them back…

OOOOOOOOOOOO

Kyna had only been dead for a few minutes, but for Bill, it felt like hours. Everything in him that felt alive was gone. All he could do was hold the girl's corpse in his arms, rocking her back and forth while shedding silent tears.

_I guess I deserve this. I haven't exactly been the nicest man…_

Bill blinked a few times and picked up his knife, grasping it firmly. Without even stopping to think, he raised it to his throat and slit it open with one flick of the wrist. He always said that was a slow death for people to spend their last moment thinking about it, and he was right. As his life left him, all he could think about was the dead girl in his arms.

_I won't be seeing you, Kyna. I suppose you'll be up in heaven, but not me. If you can hear me up there, for whatever it's worth, I'm sorry. And I love you…_

He slumped over her form as his heart stopped, ending his life forever.

OOOOOOOOOOOO

His men found the two of them like that. They assumed Kyna had killed Bill before turning the knife on herself. Bill Cutting was given a hero's funeral, while Kyna's body was thrown into a pit nearby and buried. Nobody even bothered to dress her.

People remembered Bill for decades, while Kyna was quickly forgotten. But while Bill was given a splendid burial and a memorable reputation, Kyna was rewarded with eternal life in paradise with her loved ones, while Bill went to a place almost as dark as the dirt in his grave.

**000000000000**

_**Well, that's the end. I hope you've enjoyed the alternate ending of "River of Red."**_

_**I'd like to thank all of my reviewers for sticking with me for so long. Your comments meant so much to me. While the GONY fandom is small, I'm glad to know how strong it is.**_

_**Thanks again so much, and ta ta!**_


End file.
